Charlie simply smiled at Nanako’s remark and did not say anything.After chatting with Hiroshi for a while, Nanako said apologetically, “Tanaka-san, Charlie-kun will be going back to Aurous Hill tonight. I have to accompany him to do some shopping, so we’ll leave now and I’ll visit you again tonight!”Hiroshi hurriedly said, “Miss, please go ahead with Wade-san to run your errands. You don’t have to particularly come and visit me. It’s too much trouble for you!”Nanako smiled and said, “No, it’s no trouble at all. We’ve known each other for so long, there’s no need to be so courteous.”Hiroshi nodded gratefully, then looked at Charlie and said seriously, “Wade-san, I’m sorry that I won’t be able to see you off as you will return to Oskia tonight. I wish you a safe journey!”Charlie smiled faintly. “Thank you, Tanaka. Let’s meet again sometime.”“Okay, Wade-san. See you!”After leaving Hiroshi’s ward, Nanako accompanied Charlie to Tokyo Ginza.It had been a few days since he cam
The moment the ring went through the knuckle and onto her ring finger, Nanako’s eyes were already flooded with tears. She hurriedly lowered her head, so that Charlie could not see her current look.She liked Charlie very much, but she did not want to give him too much emotional burden.This was because, deep inside her heart, she knew that Charlie came to Japan this time and visited her in Kyoto not because of how much he liked her. Instead, he sympathized with her and felt sorry for her.She could understand Charlie’s feeling — the kind of empathy among martial artists.What is empathy?It is the emotion of putting yourself in the other person’s shoes and being able to empathize with them.This is like when a racing driver witnesses another racer, who is gravely injured or even perishes on the race track, in a car crash; his empathy for the victim must be stronger than ordinary people.Similarly, if a soldier sees his comrades or the other soldiers being injured or rendered d
When Nanako returned from the restroom, there were no signs of tears on her face except her slightly reddish eyes.She deliberately splashed her face with cold water so it would look a bit more natural.After returning to the store, Nanako took the initiative to ask Charlie with a smile, “Charlie-kun, Is the ring adjusted already? Do you want me to try it again?”Charlie smiled and nodded. “Yes, please! Thank you!”Nanako answered gently, “It’s my pleasure.”With that, she extended her right hand again and said with a smile, “Come on! Try it on again!”Without further ado, Charlie picked the adjusted ring up and once again put it on the ring finger of her right hand.This time, the size of the ring had become very suitable so that it was neither loose nor tight. At a glance, it fit perfectly on her finger.Nanako couldn’t help but shift her right hand to different angles and directions to look at the inexpensive diamond ring carefully under the reflection of the light.Althoug
Charlie gladly agreed. Soon, the salesperson called another girl over. “Sayu, this VIP wants to see the bracelet. Please recommend something to him.”When the girl named Sayu learned that Charlie was a generous tycoon, she donned a broad smile and cheerily exclaimed, “Sir, please follow me.”Nanako hurriedly asked, “Charlie-kun, do you need me to try on the bracelet for you?”Charlie smiled. “I intend to buy one for my mother-in-law. She’s a bit on the chubbier side, so there is no need to trouble you.”Nanako replied with a smile, “Right, then you go ahead. I would like to see the ring, is that okay?”Charlie nodded. “Sure. I’ll be over there to look at the bracelets.”Nanako smiled sweetly. “Okay!”Only when Charlie went to the bracelet section did Nanako whisper to the salesperson responsible of the rings section, “Excuse me, the ring I tried on just now, is it still in stock?”The salesperson nodded gently and said, “Yes. We have three of these rings. Two were sold, and the
After leaving Tiffany’s, Nanako accompanied Charlie to shop at Ginza’s major stores.For the sake of it, and to be fair, Charlie bought a high-end Boss suit for Jacob, his father-in-law.Ever since Jacob’s appointment as the executive director for the Calligraphy and Painting Association, he spent most of his time there and had become its second-best person, earning himself an honorable reputation in the association.Moreover, the association he was in now had a lot of cultural collaboration with the Senior University that Matilda was at, so Jacob could suit up a little to make himself look more charismatic and dignified.Besides, Charlie also bought a few other smaller accessories and souvenirs.At 3.30 pm, there was still about two hours before Charlie’s flight to Osaka. Considering that the Tokyo Airport was quite a distance from the city, Charlie said, “Nanako, it’s almost time for me to go to the airport.”Without hesitation, Nanako replied, “Charlie-kun, I’ll see you off!”
When Nanako was deep in her thought, Charlie had already driven his car to the airport.After parking, he got out of the car with Nanako and bent down to put the car keys on top of the vehicle’s front tires.Nanako asked in surprise, “Charlie-kun, what are you doing?”Charlie answered with a smile, “I’m leaving the keys here for my friend. Otherwise, the key would have to follow me back to Oskia.”Nanako asked doubtfully, “Won’t it be lost? If someone finds out, won’t they be able to drive the car away?”Charlie laughed. “No one will notice it. Besides, there are so many cars here. Who would bend down to check each of these cars’ front tires anyway?”He then added, “I’ll inform the owner where I’ve put the key so that he can come and drive the car whenever it’s convenient for him.”Nanako smiled and nodded, “You’re so smart, Charlie-kun. I would’ve never thought of this idea in my life.”Charlie chuckled. “I just wanted to save some money. If I were to bring it back to Oskia an
At that point in time, Tokyo Airport had stepped up inspections of the departure hall to track down the murderer of Matsumoto Yoshito and his family. Still, there was no way to perform strict control on all passengers due to the lack of workforce.Although Rosalie was holding an Oskian passport, the staff did not report to his superior as she was heading to Osaka and not leaving Japan.The staff silently recited Rosalie’s name several times over, thinking to himself that the name sounded extremely pleasant, but he couldn’t quite explain why.Seeing the staff holding her passport and freezing for a moment, the first thought that crossed Rosalie’s mind was that her identity had been exposed. However, she quickly dismissed the implausible thought.First, the Tokyo Police Department knew that the exterminated Matsumoto’s family was a high-skilled martial artist from Oskia. Still, they didn’t know anything beyond that. They didn’t even know the name of the murderer.Moreover, Japan was
Back then, Nanako insisted on competing with Aurora, whose strength had improved significantly thanks to Charlie’s Rejuvenating Pill.In the end, Aurora had seriously injured Nanako in the ring, which eventually became a thorn that pieced Charlie’s heart.On the one hand, he felt sorry for Nanako, but on the other, he appreciated her zeal for never saying no and her courage to tread uncharted waters.In addition to that, he felt a certain degree of shame for her because he single-handedly pushed Aurora from a level far below her to a level far beyond Nanako’s.Now that he had cured her, the thorn was removed, and he no longer felt the disturbing stab in his heart.He saved her life and made her strength improve by a large margin, so the guilt was also redeemed.With both the heartache and guilt finally being washed away, what remained was more of an appreciation for Nanako.He smiled at her heartily and full of ease. “In that case, I’ll head off first!”“Okay!” Nanako nodded. S
Holding up a thumb at Charlie, Julien exclaimed in approval, "You're right, my friend! That's far more exciting than having him jailed!"Just hearing that he would be sent to a kennel, Jimmy knew nothing would come of it—even if he didn't know the details, it was so obvious that Julien was thrilled by the very idea!Turning nervously toward Charlie, he was sobbing as he asked, "Mr. Wade…? What's this about a kennel…?"Julien chuckled coolly even before Charlie said a word. "A kennel is where you keep dogs, of course. Though there are literal dogs and metaphorical dogs, and you are the latter."Oh, don't worry. It's a really nice place where you get your own cage, and you'll be fed every day. You don't even have to work, so just sit tight and keep eating until the day you die."Jimmy's soul left his body in that instant.He was going to be locked in a cage?! That was way worse than being locked up and sent to jail! Where was the humanity around here?!Even as the thought struck h
Matilda was actually caught off guard by Jimmy's pleas, and even Paul found it hard to watch.Turning to Charlie, he said, "Please, Mr. Wade—my uncle can be a little despicable, but he is my father's brother. Please, let him have a chance to turn over a new leaf, seeing that he's earnestly repenting."While Paul spoke with Charlie, Jimmy was still confused and wondered why Paul would plead his case with Charlie instead of Julien. If there was anyone Paul should ask, it was Yolden since he was Julien's friend. So, why would he ask some young man instead of Yolden?That was when Charlie asked in curiosity, "You want to let him off? After he tried to take away your parents' legacy?"Paul smiled awkwardly. "I mean, I know the guy. He made sure to travel all this way to make a scene because he had nothing legal that could help him claim Smith Group Corporate Law from us. Otherwise, he'd have already filed the lawsuit in the States. Sure, it's a dirty move, but that's basically a des
As Julien finished, he realized something was wrong and turned toward Charlie before he knew it.Charlie held his gaze in turn, his expression quizzical and amused.Julien cleared his throat right then. "See, there are people who can order me around, but they have my utmost respect. However, a third-rate lawyer like you? Who do you think you are?"That was when Julien's butler called, and he reported respectfully as soon as the call was answered, "Sir, I've spoken with Nate Ellis, the owner of Ares LLC. He has since agreed to fire Jimmy Smith right away as well as disbar him nationwide."Julien asked, "Good. Anything else?""Well, Mr. Ellis also delivered some documents that can be used as evidence against Jimmy Smith, which he claims is enough for a lifetime sentence. If you deem it necessary, we can have it sent to the FBI.""Yes, let's go with that!" Julien replied, his tone satisfied. "And ask the director to handle it personally—I want this prick to never set foot stateside
Jimmy was sweating profusely in fear, but he argued back before he knew it, "That's impossible! Everything you say is bullshit! Gaiman simply thought he had a fair chance of winning and didn't want to pay Ares that much, and I have no idea who he partnered with, and I'm certainly not involved. Don't you try to slander me!"Nate chuckled. "Come on, Jimmy. We're all adults here, so there are things we shouldn't have to be so direct about. Mills Gaiman and your old classmate met in private many times, not to mention the private conferences you three had in secret, discussing your overall strategy and decisive points. Just so you know, Gaiman recorded every conversation, and I have the tapes with me."Jimmy's heart was left pounding as he blurted, "B-Bullshit! That's impossible!""Grow up, Jimmy," Mr.Goodman chuckled. "Every partner in every law firm always strives to rise higher, so I'm going to need as much leverage as I can. Otherwise, I'm not about to let them advance any further, e
Although the ringtone and vibration frequency were the ones Jimmy always used, this call somehow felt more urgent, leaving him exceedingly uneasy.When it abruptly stopped and left a missed call on his log, Nate Ellis soon sent a text: [Answer your damn phone this instant!]Just seeing the text left Jimmy feeling like his throat had gone dry, and as he gulped, it felt like his throat was being ripped, leaving him hurting.Still, he couldn't care less as his boss called again.Having seen the text, Jimmy didn't hesitate this time and promptly answered, watching Julien's smug face as he started tentatively, "Y-Yes, boss...?"Nate immediately yelled at him hysterically, "What the hell did you do?! Why did the Rothschilds call to complain about you?! And the complaint was from their heir apparent, at that! I worked hard for them and always toed the line for years, and I still haven't gotten a chance to meet the man, so how the fuck did you upset him?!"Jimmy's heart sank to rock bott
Fuming, Jimmy snapped at Julien, "If you insist on playing it like that, I will call my boss, and you can talk to him yourself!"Julien chuckled. "That's unnecessary. I've never met him. He would never recognize my voice."Jimmy laughed and nodded despite himself. "Impressive—you can really come up with anything! You don't have his number because he's beneath you, you refuse to call him because he's beneath you, and when I say I'll call him for you, you say he won't recognize your voice. Well, how do you suppose we should sort this out? At least prove you're a Rothschild, or anyone could claim that they are—"Julien held up a hand to stop him. "Then, how about this? I'll ask my butler to talk to your boss."Jimmy laughed even more loudly as if it were the best joke ever. "Hahaha!!! Butler, you say?! You really know how to talk! Alright, I'll wait and see what your 'butler' can do… I mean, what you can do. We'll see whether my boss calls me!"Julien ignored him and whipped out his
Naturally, Jimmy couldn't care less about Julien's suggestion, even looking at him pointedly from head to toe while smirking in contempt, "What, do you think I'd just do what any nutjob tells me to do just because they're claiming to be the Rothschilds' heir apparent?"Julien nodded, still smiling. "Good point, but don't worry—it's the same whether you call him or he calls you."Jimmy laughed. "I was offering you a way out, but you want to keep pressing your luck? Since you don't care to back off, let's see how you're going to finish this fight."Then, he shrugged while pointing at Yolden. "Well, it's the perfect chance to measure Matilda's husband, I guess."Based on what he saw of Yolden, there was no way he would buy Julien's claims, and thus labeled him an impostor in his mind.An ordinary lecturer in Aurous Hill, being friends with the Rothschilds' heir apparent? Not to mention that there had been plenty of fraudulent cases outside the States where the Rothschild name was use
Jimmy was taken aback since he didn't recognize Julien at all, mainly because the Rothschilds had always kept out of the public eye.In fact, it was basically impossible to gather genuine information about the Rothschilds online, as it was a mix of press releases and gossip. Most online biographies would only be about the older generations or certain frivolous figures. Any information about key members like Steve would never be searchable online.Matilda was confused as well, not quite understanding who Julien was since he wasn't on the list of guests invited.Seeing that she was confused, Julien turned and smiled at Yolden, "So, Professor, shouldn't you introduce me to the bride?"Yolden finally remembered that and quickly nodded, "Sorry, it slipped my mind."Turning toward Matilda, he smiled, "Darling, this is Julien Rothschild… A friend of mine from the states…"Julien's full name left everyone within earshot gaping as the Rothschild name was way too famous across the globe.
Seeing that Jimmy was getting a little nervous, Charlie smiled and assured him, "Please, you have nothing to worry about. No one's going to do anything to you, but if you feel threatened in any way, you can call the cops. The Oskian emergency hotline is 110, by the way."Jimmy was slightly relieved as he could see that Charlie really wasn't trying to make things awkward for him, and he straightened his collar as he said, "Actually, I didn't mean to cause trouble—I'm pleased that Matilda has found true love once more, and if we can be friends, I can set aside my claim and stay for the rest of this wedding, offering the newlyweds our best wishes as a representative of my family."Still, his expression showed contempt as he turned toward Yolden. "Also, I'm really curious and looking forward to seeing what connections Professor Hart might have that you say could be better than Bill.""You'll see soon enough," Charlie smiled and nodded.Jimmy remained skeptical and scoffed, "I really do